VEMBANAD LAKE AND ASHTAMUDI LAKE

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Context

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT), in March 2023, imposed a penalty of Rs 10 crore on the Kerala government for failing to protect the Vembanad and Ashtamudi lakes, which are included in the Ramsar list of wetlands.

About Vembanad Lake

• Kottayam has a vast network of rivers and canals, which empty into the great expanse of water called the Vembanad Lake, a fast developing backwater tourism
• Traditional Cargo boats called Kettuvallams are modified into Cruise boats and House boats.
• In the Vembanad Lake there is a small beautiful island called Pathiramanal or the Midnight sands.
• The serene lakes come alive during Onam with a spectacular water regatta – the snake boat races.

About Ashtamudi Lake

• It is located in the Kollam District of the Indian state of Kerala.
• It is the most visited backwater lake in the state.
• It possesses a unique wetland ecosystem and a large palm-shaped (also described as octopus-shaped) water body, second only in size to the Vembanad estuary ecosystem of the state.
• Ashtamudi means 'eight braids' in the local Malayalam language.
• The name is indicative of the lake's topography with its multiple branches.
• The lake is also called the gateway to the backwaters of Kerala and is well known for its houseboat and backwater resorts.
• Ashtamudi Wetland was included in the list of wetlands of international importance, as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands.
• In 2014, the Clam Governing Council of Ashtamudi lake became the first Marine Stewardship Council certified fishery in India for their sustainable clam fishing.

National Green Tribunal

About the tribunal

• It is a Statutory Body under National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act 2010.
• It ensures environmental justice.
• It is not bound by the Code of Civil Procedure; it is guided by principles of natural justice.
• Disposal of applications within 6 months.

Members

• Currently, 10 expert members and 10 judicial members (the Act allows for up to 20 of each).
• Only a Judge of the Supreme Court or a Chief Justice of a High Court Can be appointed as Chairman.
• Members are chosen by a Selection Committee (headed by a sitting judge of SC).
  • Judicial members are chosen from applicants who are serving or retired judges of High Courts.
  • Expert members are chosen from applicants who are either serving or retired bureaucrats, not below the rank of an Additional Secretary.
• Expert members must have a doctorate in a related field.
• Chairman and members term of 5 yrs and are not eligible for re-appointment.

Powers

• NGT pass orders or provides compensation under:
  • The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.
  • Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, Forest (Conservation) Act.
  • Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.
  • Environment (Protection) Act 1986.
  • Public Liability Insurance Act 1991.
  • Biological Diversity Act 2002.

Places of Sittings

• The act proposed to set up 5 places of sittings:
  • New Delhi
  • Bhopal
  • Pune
  • Kolkata
  • Chennai

About Ramsar Sites

What are wetlands?

• Wetlands, according to the Environment Ministry, are an “area of marsh, fen, peatland or water; whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres, but does not include river channels, paddy fields, human-made water bodies/ tanks specifically constructed for drinking water purposes and structures specifically constructed for aquaculture, salt production, recreation and irrigation purposes.”

What is a Ramsar site?

• Any wetland site which has been listed under the Ramsar Convention that aims to conserve it and promote sustainable use of its natural resourcesis called a Ramsar Site.
• Ramsar Convention is known as the Convention of Wetlands. It was established in 1971 by UNESCO and came into force in 1975.
• India is a party to the Ramsar Convention. India signed under it on 1st February 1982.

Conditions to be a Ramsar site

• To be Ramsar site, it must meet at least one of nine criteria as defined by the Ramsar Convention of 1961, such as supporting vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities or, if it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds or, is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks are dependent upon.

Ramsar sites in India

• Sundarbans is the largest Ramsar Site of India
• Chilika Lake (Orissa) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) were recognized as the first Ramsar Sites of India
• Uttar Pradesh has the most number of Ramsar Sites in India.
• Renuka Wetland in Himachal Pradesh is the smallest wetland of India.

Ramsar Wetlands Sites (As on November, 2022)

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/pollution/vembanad-ashtamudi-ngt-slaps-rs-10-crore-on-kerala-for-its-failure-to-protect-ramsar-sites-88520